Midnight Secrets

by Janelle Taylor

  As they rode along, Ginny asked Charles what the two of them had said to each other.

  “We were talking about guard assignments and what’s ahead. I hated to come after you too fast after you took off like that, so I chatted with him a while. Why didn’t you stay with him, girl? The perfect opportunity was there.”

  Ginny explained her reason, and Charles concurred and apologized. But the man knew he had sparked interest in the scout toward her, and he was glad of it. Most of what he had said about Ginny and her father was true, so he had sounded convincing, and he knew Steve wouldn’t repeat it to her. Getting the skilled westerner bewitched by Ginny, Charles believed, would fill everyone’s needs.

  The wagontrain halted the next day at five, as some men needed to hunt for fresh meat while it was still light enough to do so. Charles Avery left with” them after saying he was off to get rabbits for roasting over a spit.

  A clear sky and early-rising full moon promised a lovely evening. While Ginny was cooking over the fire Charles had built before leaving, Steve approached the Avery campsite. She was frying cured ham, cooking biscuits in a Dutch oven, and getting coffee ready to perk. She glanced up at the smiling “scout, then returned her gaze to her tasks.

  “Did you need something, Mr. Carr? Father isn’t back yet.”

  She was polite but cool. The things Avery had disclosed to Steve in confidence raced through his mind at lightning speed. “He invited me for supper. Is that all right with you, Anna?”

  Her head jerked up, her eyes wide in surprise. “He did?”

  “I guess he forgot to mention it to you.”

  She quickly recovered her poise and was courteous. “He did, but it’s all right, if you don’t mind what we’re having tonight. Father wanted ham, red-eye gravy, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and coffee.” Now she understood why Charles had asked for the simple fare; she could manage it without mistakes or much work. He should have told her about inviting Steve, should have asked her permission.

  The man comprehended she was genuinely unaware of the invitation and assumed the sly Charles had kept it from her on purpose. “Sounds and smells delicious, if you have enough and don’t mind my joining you two.”

  “Oh!” she shrieked as she realized the ham would burn soon if she didn’t tend it quickly. “Don’t say it,” she warned the scout.

  He was baffled. “Say what, Anna?”

  “That I’m distracted again and ruining dinner,” she replied.

  “I wouldn’t, not when I’m the cause—or hope I am.” She didn’t glance up or respond, so he ventured, “You’re annoyed with me, so I should explain my…‘contradictory,’ you once called it, behavior.”

  “You don’t have to tell me anything. You don’t owe me excuses.”

  He noticed she said ‘excuses,’ not ‘reasons.’ “Yes, I do, Anna.”

  “Why?” she asked, stealing a quick glance at him. “You said ‘take it slow and easy.’ We’ve both kept our word, so there is no problem.”

  “I didn’t mean we should have no contact.”

  “That hasn’t been my intention or doing, Steve. Surely I’m not expected to chase you down to be friends. That isn’t proper.”

  “I know it’s my fault, but you’ve kept your word too well.”

  Ginny set the cooked meat aside and covered it. She shifted the pot to the edge so the coffee wouldn’t perk over the spout. She had been taught by Ellie not to peek at the biscuits and let out the heat, so let them be. Pleased things were under control, she looked at Steve, who was hunkered down across the fire. “That’s all until Father returns and I can cook the gravy and eggs. I believe you were talking about our avoiding each other. I’m confused, Steve. You get unsettled if I’m too bold, but you also get unsettled if I’m too reserved. Frankly I’m not sure what the middle ground is with you so bear with me until I find that tricky location. It’s been six days since we pulled out and we’ve barely spoken or been near each other. Since you didn’t come around, I assumed you wanted to be left alone for a time. You said making friends was hard for you, so I don’t want to push. How exactly do you prefer me to behave? What exactly is it you expect and want from me? I can’t obey rules when I don’t know what they are.”

  He sat down and crossed his legs. “I’m sorry, Anna, but a man like me makes few, if any, female friends; I reacted too strongly. After we danced and talked so much that night, I was worried others might think we’d gotten too close and they’d be watching us for mischief. The best two reasons for firing a leader are incompetence and… You know what I mean.”

  She hadn’t been prepared for an apology and explanation from him. “You’re avoiding me to protect your job?”

  “It isn’t amusing or unimportant.”

  “I didn’t laugh or dispute you.”

  “Your eyes did, woman, and I’m serious. I can’t lose this job.”

  “Don’t you think it looks more suspicious to others for you to avoid me like cholera rather than to visit me as you do them?” Ginny reasoned.

  He shrugged and admitted, “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right. With your father’s permission and help, I can probably visit you without any suspicion.” He leaned forward to whisper, “Some people would enjoy making problems for anyone. I’ve given some of them a hard time, and you’re a woman to be jealous of. I can’t anger them by showing special treatment to you.” For crucial reasons you don’t know, his mind added. He was having a difficult time deciding the best way to handle each person.

  Ginny deliberated his words and concluded they had merit. Cathy could be spiteful after a spurning, or Louise or Mattie could be vindictive after stern and embarrassing words of correction, or one of the men could think they were trained well enough to go on alone if Steve vexed him too much. She certainly didn’t want to do anything to get him fired. “You asked his permission to see me?”

  Steve shifted in uneasiness. “No. But he guessed I wanted to, and gave me the opportunity.”

  “He likes and respects you. He sees no harm in our being friends.”

  “Maybe he’s wrong to trust me around you,” he muttered.

  Ginny hoped she understood the meaning of those words. “Why, because you have wicked intentions of leading me astray?” When he frowned at her jest, she said, “I was only teasing. You can’t do that without my agreement and cooperation. He trusts me and doesn’t tell me what to do or think, so stop worrying. Now I have to fetch the eggs.”

  Steve leapt to his feet, took the basket from her grasp, and said, “I’ll do it for you. I need a breather. Serious talk tenses me.” He ducked under the wagon to the inner circle where the pens with cushioning nests of hay were attached to the bedside. He checked each one to see if a bag of gems could be hidden there: none. He removed the eggs and returned to her.

  To calm the nervous man, she made light talk. “Thank you, Steve. You saved me from getting pecked again. One of those hens hates me.”

  He chuckled. “Not really. She’s only a mother hen protecting her unborn babies.”

  Steve wanted to bite his tongue for replying, “That’s what mothers are for, to defend their own.” Shu, she was relaxing him too much!

  With caution, Ginny inquired, “What’s your mother’s name, Steve? What is she like? You said she was still alive. Where does she live?”

  He didn’t look at her to answer, “Rose. She’s beautiful, gentle, kind, and unselfish to a fault. She lives in Arizona. Your Mother is dead, right?”

  “Yes, she died when I was eleven. She had the same traits as yours. I still miss her. I doubt anyone ever gets completely over the loss of a parent.”

  “It can be done if necessary.” More rash words had shot from his lips unbidden, and he warned himself to clear his wits.

  “Did you… Do you…” She halted on second thought.

  “Know who my father was?” he finished for her, guessing her question accurately. Since he had made the slip, he’d test her feelings about his illegitimacy.
>
  Ginny heard the bitterness and resentment plaguing the man she loved. She wished she hadn’t begun the topic. “I’m sorry, Steve, that’s being too nosy about a painful subject.”

  “Yes, Miss Avery, it is. For now,” he added for some crazy reason.

  “The last thing I’ll say about it is that it doesn’t bother me; it doesn’t influence my opinion of you. I’m only sorry it torments you so deeply. I won’t ever mention it again. How about a cup of coffee? I can’t promise it’s good, but I hope it won’t be the worst you’ve ever had.” She laughed.

  “You’re quite a woman, Anna Avery,” he murmured.

  Charles returned, grinning as if he was the happiest man alive. “Hello, you two. Did I hold up supper?”

  “Not really, Father. It gave Steve and me time to talk for a change. Any luck?” she asked, noting his hands were empty.

  “None, I’m afraid. But some of the others made kills; one even got a deer. That’ll be sweet eating for days. I’ll get washed up for supper.”

  As Ginny prepared the red-eye gravy and readied the eggs to scramble, Steve asked, “Does your father always stay dressed up?”

  She laughed, then speculated, “A habit, I suppose, from years of being a businessman. I imagine a formal attire is like a second skin to him by now. Sort of like those pistols and knife are to you, my well-armed protector. I bet you’re so accustomed to wearing them, you don’t realize they’re there, until you need them.”

  “Point made,” he murmured with a grin.

  “Does that make you a gunslinger? I’ve read books about them.”

  “Nope. A gunslinger earns his living by them; I don’t, or try not to.”

  The food was eaten with enjoyment and little talk. Afterward, the men drank coffee and chatted while Ginny washed the dishes in a basin nearby. She listened closely to what they said.

  “Where is your ranch, sir?” Steve inquired over sips of notbad-tasting coffee.

  Charles was impressed with the manners and intelligence of the man before him. He realized Steve Carr wasn’t an ordinary man or drifter. Somewhere in his past, the scout had been schooled and taught. Yes, he assured himself, Steve was a good match for Ginny. Charles finished his coffee and set the cup aside. “Outside of Waco. I got a good deal on it. One hundred acres with seventy-five steers, a few cows and horses, and two pigs. It has a nice house and barns, but I’ll have a few repairs and changes to make. The hands and foreman have agreed to stay on; they’ll teach me what I need to know about raising and selling cattle. It’s called the Box F now, but I’m told it will be simple to alter that mark to the Box A with a special branding iron.”

  “Yep, that’ll be easy to do. It sounds good to me, sir.”

  “It will be, Steve. You’re welcome to come by anytime to visit.”

  “Maybe I will, sir. I’d like to make sure you get settled in all right. You’ll like Texas and that area. War hardly touched it. You won’t see the ugly scars there that you see in these parts.”

  “How glorious, praise the Lord. It certainly will be nice not to have these same horrible reminders in the place where we’re trying to make a new start. Ever thought about ranching, Steve? Or ever been a foreman or cowhand?”

  “I’ve been just about everything, sir. I like ranching, but haven’t decided if that’s where I want to be when I shake the last trail dust from these boots. I have a roaming spirit, too restless to stay put long. Guess that’s why I enjoy leading or scouting for wagontrains; always on the move.”

  “What about your homestead and parents, Son?”

  As Charles leaned forward to refill his coffee cup, he didn’t see the look Steve sent Ginny, but she did and understood its meaning, its plea to conceal the humiliating secret he had told her.

  “They’re dead, sir. Been on my own since sixteen.” That was why he still scolded himself for joining the Confederate Army; he had no home and land to defend. He had done it to protect those of friends and his mother.

  Charles looked surprised and intrigued. “You’re mighty well bred and cultured for a man who was an orphan on the road.”

  Steve smiled and feigned a look of modesty. “Thank you, sir; that’s mighty kind of you. I put eight years of schooling under my belt and hat before… and I do read most of the time, try to learn all I can. I’ve been lucky to have smart friends along the way who’ve taught me plenty.”

  “Like dancing?” Charles asked with a sly wink.

  “Yep. A major’s wife at one of the forts where I was scouting forced me to learn. She said that was one skill every young man should have. When she first took hold of me, I thought I had four feet and they kept getting tangled. She used music boxes for practice, and I finally got the know of it. I knew I had to or she wouldn’t let up on me. Strange as it sounds, the crabby driver of freight wagons was the one who taught me how to mend my clothes and take care of them.”

  Ginny had the feeling that most of what he was saying was the truth. That bewildered her. How could he have done so well for himself and been touched by so many others, yet still be so tormented and such a loner? He was a complex and mysterious man. She wished she knew more about him, everything about him. She dared not press for more information and cause him to close up to her. She must allow him to reveal things at his own pace. After all, she had plenty of secrets of her own! She dared not expose them, not when he was learning to trust her. Besides, there was a strong probability that he would leave her behind when the journey ended, no matter what happened between them.

  After Steve left the wagon, Ginny and Charles took a stroll to speak in privacy.

  “Why did we tell everyone such things?” she asked him. “You purchased a mercantile store in town. What will Steve and the others think when they learn we deceived them about a ranch as well as being kin?”

  “It won’t matter; by then, you’ll be safe at the Chapman ranch. I want Steve to believe we’re rich in case you decide to hire him. Besides, westerners think more highly of ranchers than of storeowners.”

  “Won’t he think it’s odd I’m going to Colorado without my father?”

  “Not if you tell him you have a brother there who you’re going to visit while I get the ranch fixed up. When you reach your destination, you can confess the truth, if you wish. Don’t tell him anything before then, Anna. He’ll think that if you can lie about one thing, you’ll lie about another, about all things. Never forget that he’s a wary and proud man. You don’t want him to get his feelings and pride hurt and take off leaving you stranded.”

  “You’re right, and I’ll be careful. But—”

  “Listen well to me, Anna: some people put on good fronts when inside they’re bad, or just confused and misguided. They’ll use you and trick you, then get rid of you by discarding you or killing you. Steve Carr seems like a good man, but we could be wrong about him. Don’t risk getting hurt or betrayed,” he urged. “Wait until you’re convinced beyond even a tiny doubt that he’s totally dependable and trustworthy.”

  “I agree, sir, and I’ll follow your good advice. What I was about to question was the lie about a brother. I don’t want to make up one now in case I don’t need to use that ruse; it could complicate matters for us if we mention details about him that don’t match. When and if the time comes to hire Steve, I’ll think of something credible to tell him. I’ll say we didn’t mention such a close family member because you two had a serious disagreement years ago and don’t have anything to do with each other anymore.”

  Charles was intrigued. “About what?”

  Ginny mused a moment. “Your son, my brother, sided and fought with the Yankees, so you disowned him in a moment of anguish, anger, and disappointment, and he’s angry with you for being a Rebel, a traitor to the Union and his country. That actually happened with some families, so it should work. I’ll say that now that the war is over and things have calmed, I’m going to see him to try to make peace between you two.”

  Charles beamed with excitement and pleasure. He g
rasped her hand and squeezed it gently. “You’re quick and smart, Anna. It’s perfect. That way, our stories won’t conflict and expose us.”

  “I’m getting good at deceptions. Too good,” she murmured in dismay. “I don’t like having to lie and trick people, especially friends.”

  Charles put empathetic pressure on her hand. “Sometimes it can’t be helped, girl. With so much at stake, this is one of them. You can’t allow anything or anybody to stop you from accomplishing what you must do. I’m proud of you, girl; Anna and you would have been good friends; you’re so alike.”

  Ginny watched him drift off into melancholy thought. She knew that her similarity to his daughter was part of the reason Charles Avery liked and helped her, and it was why he could be trusted implicitly. He was a good and kind man. Charles didn’t realize that Steve would refuse to be hired by her when he discovered she wasn’t Anna and there was no ranch, nothing but lies. Nor would either know how or where to locate the other when her departure time arrived or if he decided to visit the nonexistent ranch. She didn’t know why the mercantile store was a secret, but she assumed Charles had a private reason for keeping it one, and so would she.

  They journeyed over matching terrain on Sunday, except for crossing the Ocmulgee River five miles from camp. Although very wide, it wasn’t deep, so caused no delay. They had a short religious service during the noon break then continued traveling until dusk to camp forty miles south of Macon. Meals and chores were completed and visits began.

  Ginny took a stroll, and Steve joined her when she was out of sight of the others.